


The Mystery of St. Tenebris

by elementalram



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Alcohol, F/M, Ghosts, Mystery, Suggestive Themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2018-12-20 15:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11924229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elementalram/pseuds/elementalram
Summary: Chapter 4 now up! (10.11.17)Emmy returns from her world travels to pull Professor Layton out of his post-UF funk with the allure of a new mystery.  An old archaeological dig site-turned-tourist attraction called St. Tenebris seems to be inhabited by ghosts, and Layton, Emmy and Flora have made it their business to determine the source of the apparitions!I'm going to try very hard to keep this rated T, but in any case I hope you enjoy the mystery!





	1. I

Light from the evening sun was rapidly diminishing as it began to dip below the horizon, casting a rich, pink orange glow against the trees. Hershel Layton leaned back in the passenger seat of his car and sighed contentedly. The air swirling in through the crack in the window was crisp and clear, albeit quite chilly. There was snow piled up on either side of the icy road, and he was grateful not to have to be the one to drive.

He looked to his right at the woman in the driver’s seat.  Just yesterday, quite unexpectedly, he had been driving home when suddenly a bright yellow vespa dangerously cut him off and stopped in the middle of the street.  Flushed, and with an odd sense of deja vu, he got out of the car to confront the person who had caused him to slam on the breaks only to be met with the warm smile and tight embrace of his prior assistant. He had been so shocked to see her that he almost hadn’t heard her reason for the surprise visit.

“It shouldn’t be too much longer now,” she said, drawing Layton out of his reverie.  Emmy Altava glanced his way and smiled. Layton realized he had been staring and returned his eyes to the road ahead.  Emmy… how many years had it been?  She looked so different now with her hair cut and pulled back in a short braid.  Even her style of dress was different; gone were her bright blazer and pink bowtie in favor of a more mature ensemble. Today she wore grey slacks and a white blouse.  She did keep a yellow sweater tied around her shoulders, however.  Layton peered down and examined his own worn green shoes.  He wiggled his toes inside one of them and contemplated upgrading.

Without taking her eyes off the road, she slipped one hand off the steering wheel and wrapped it around his. Layton couldn’t help but smile up at her as he ruminated over the events of the night prior. Although he didn’t drink often, the two of them had celebrated their reunion by downing a considerable amount of port and whiskey as they recapped the events of their time spent apart.  Although he had intended to gloss over the events surrounding Claire, Emmy drew out each detail from him.  It felt great, healing even, to be able to talk to an old friend so openly and freely, and found himself grateful for her attention and kindhearted words of consolation. Their conversation continued as one, then the other slipped off the couch to lay side-by-side beneath the first rays of the morning sun on the floor of his apartment. There, they discussed Luke’s tearful departure, Emmy's arrival and Gressenheller's aptly timed winter vacation.  Eventually they fell asleep quite unceremoniously on the carpet and didn’t wake up again until well into the afternoon.

Hence, they made an awfully late start of it, but ultimately did get out and on the road for their latest journey.  She squeezed his hand tight and glanced his way again, a twinkle in her dark eyes. “You know, Professor, this will be our first outing together with just us.”

He paused. There was a buoyant, optimistic feeling unfolding within him as he cast about for a suitable response. “Emmy," he said finally, "since you are no longer under my employ, I think it appropriate now for you to use my name instead.”

Her grin was coy as she untangled her fingers from his grasp to alight them on one of his. "Certainly, _Hershel_." As if hearing his name pass over her lips wasn't enough to make his stomach flutter, she began to slowly trail her fingers down the length of his and back.  She did it again, applying a little more pressure to his finger and pausing to suggestively rub the very tip.  Feeling an intoxication akin to last night's begin to creep over him, he opened his mouth to speak but struggled to find the right words.  Instead, he concentrated on fighting to suppress the urge to tell her to _pull over right now and get in the back so he could--_

"So where are we going?"

Layton and Emmy leaped away from each other and spun around in their seats, Emmy narrowly avoiding sending the little car off-road into a bank of snow as she pulled over.  From the back seat, a young lady wearing a pink dress looked inquisitively at them through sleepy eyes. After a moment of silence, she repeated herself and added, "Surely you didn't think I was going to sit this one out, did you? Not after all the raving she did about it last night. Who are you, anyhow?" The last sentence she directed at Emmy, still wide-eyed and uncharacteristically flabbergasted.

Layton took a deep breath.  "Flora, meet Emmy.  She was my assistant until a few years ago.  And Emmy, this young lady here is the one I told you about last night, from St. Mystere."

"I'm Flora Reinhold-Layton, pleased to meet you, Emmy." Here she paused and carefully looked over Emmy's startled countenance. She continued, "I do hope you'll pardon me for being so forward, but it seems to me as though you were not just an assistant." Emmy sputtered a few words incoherently as she turned a brilliant shade of red.

"She is also a great friend, Flora dear," Layton said, lowering the brim of his hat and hoping to suppress the burning in his own face. "But I now have a question for you: how did you end up back there?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well," she began slowly, "when I overheard you two talking last night about a mystery in an old bed-and-breakfast, I knew I couldn't just sit back and let you slip away. I made sure to get up early this morning and hid in the car all day so I wouldn't miss your departure."

With haste Layton mentally reviewed the conversations he had with Emmy last night and this morning for content.  Had she watched him drink?  Had anything explicit been said?  Anything that innocent ears shouldn't overhear?  He racked his brain, but the last twenty four hours had been a blur.  At the very least, he was glad he hadn't said aloud his thoughts just prior to her appearance.

"She is a lot like you, Professor," Emmy said, having finally recovered enough to continue driving. "Inquisitive and resourceful."

"Yes, well.... Be that as it may, Flora, it isn't at all ladylike to spy on another's private conversation."

Flora apologized, and the trio sat in silence as they watched the snow-covered trees speed by in the twilight.  The sides of the road were now high with clean fresh snow, and every so often a snowman zoomed by their window.  They were nearing their destination.

Finally, Layton broke the silence. "To answer your question, Flora, we are headed to a town on the other side of this mountain called St. Tenebris.” He watched in the rear view mirror as she eagerly sat up and leaned in to listen. "It was once a well known archeological dig site famous for its maze of interconnected underground tunnels built by a people called the Terran. These people once practiced a form of sabaism—“

“—Which means that they worshiped the stars, naturally,” Emmy interjected.

“Naturally,” Layton continued. “However, legend states that the Sun, in all its jealousy, cursed them for only worshiping the celestial bodies they witnessed at night, and not the Sun itself. And so the Terran were cursed with skin so sensitive that they would burn up from the light of even the most distant star, and they were thusly forced to live underground.” He paused for more input from Emmy, but when none came, he went on.  “The network of tunnels they made were so vast that it took over a decade to explore once rediscovered.  Unfortunately, however, the archaeologists did not do a good job.  Many tunnels collapsed, you see, which ended up killing dozens upon dozens of workers. Then, once they extracted all they deemed valuable, they turned over the land to a pair of wealthy entrepreneurs who turned the space into a kind of tourist attraction.  Needless to say, they didn't give the place anything near the kind of respect it deserves, but I won't go into that now.  This all happened about fifty years ago, when ethics surrounding the care and preservation of ancient structures was not what it is in the field today.“

"Oh, I see," Flora said, thoughtfully.  "Were you just a little kid back then Professor?" she asked, her innocent, round eyes wide.  Emmy snorted and cupped a hand over her mouth.

"No, Flora. I hadn't been born just yet." He shot a look at Emmy, who was still shaking with suppressed laughter.

"So, where is the mystery in all this?"

“Actually, Emmy might be better at explaining that part. That is, if she is able.”

Emmy took a steadying breath. “Yeah, sure. Well, the mystery actually has to do with a particular building in St. Tenebris. One of the two entrepreneurs that Hershel mentioned—“ she glanced at him and then back at the road, “—uh, one went a little loopy and started to believe that the spirits of the people who had died underground were out to get him. He started to see ghosts, but instead of bailing on his part of the investment, he decided that he would instead build his house up to be a kind of maze so the ghosts couldn’t find him in there. Anyways, now that house belongs to a descendant of his, who has turned it into a kind of bed-and-breakfast for people who like that sort of thing.”

“And you like that sort of thing, miss?”

Seemingly caught off guard once again, Emmy blinked a couple of times, mouth open. “Ah, well, not especially, no.”  Layton didn’t hide his grin as he watched her falter. “I mean— I should have mentioned that I read about it and thought it would be, uh.... You know your dad likes to solve puzzles and mysteries and the like, right?” Flora nodded.  “OK, so when I read about it, I thought it was something that he would like to investigate.  It seemed like a good combination of history and mystery, that’s all.”

"Investigate what?"

"Oh! Did I forget that part?  Well, the ghosts are back, and with a vengeance."

"Or so says the current owner and several recent tenants, according to the _World Times._ And on top of that, they say that the ghosts also have the uncanny ability to rearrange the rooms in the house, even, turning the maze once meant to confound the dead against all who count themselves among the living," Layton added.

"So, were you called out here to stop them then?"

"No, this is simply to satiate my curiosity," Emmy confessed.  "Since the university is on winter vacation, I thought I'd steal your dad for a bit and take him with me to see if we could figure out their ghost problem."

"I see...." Flora trailed off thoughtfully. The forest around them had grown dark; Emmy slowed the car and proceeded cautiously as snow fluttered down all around them.

"See those lights up ahead?  That must be St. Tenebris.  We're almost th--"

Suddenly, the shimmering silhouette of a man had appeared in the middle of the road.  Emmy slammed on the breaks but the car had driven over an icy patch; they careened into the figure and continued until the tires could finally grip the asphalt and come to a screeching halt.

"Flora, stay in the car," Layton commanded, throwing off his seatbelt and pushing the car door open.  Emmy followed him for a few paces in the eerie red glow of the Laytonmobile's breaklights.  She stopped short to look around, but besides the two of them, there was nobody else there.

"What on earth?" she said under her breath.  She went back to the car and retrieved a flashlight from the trunk.  She scanned the ground, but could see no evidence of the man in the road.  There weren't even any footprints in the snow along the bank.  After a perplexed moment of searching, she rejoined Layton, who was standing silently in the middle of the road.  When she reached him, she was momentarily startled to see an excited grin across his face.  He turned to look at her.

"Emmy, my dear, I think you may have picked a good one."


	2. II

The little car rolled up to the lot past the old, worn sign for the bed and breakfast. With a clunk, Emmy pushed the gear into park and turned it off, and the three wordlessly piled out into the snow. The elaborate home loomed before them in the darkness, the cheerfully colored Christmas lights contrasting oddly against the gothic architecture. The house looked as though it originally had been built to reflect a kind of Victorian style, but over the years had so many additions hastily tacked onto it that it was difficult for an onlooker to discern anything about its layout. In one place, it appeared to be two stories tall, but in another, three; there was another section which looked almost like a tower which stood at least five stories tall. A large, handprinted sign hung over the porch beneath twinkling Christmas lights which read: Welcome to the Riddle Manor.

They looked at each other in the soft glow of the miniature lights decorating the structure. Flora , who had wrapped her arms around her shoulders, was first to break the silence: “Well, it's pretty chilly out… shall we go in?”

With a nod from each, Layton and Emmy retrieved their luggage from the trunk and made their way up the creaking steps and over the wide porch. He gave a soft knock on the door. To the right were several tall bay windows through which they spied an enormous green Christmas tree decorated in white lights and silver tinsel. After a moment, they heard a creak as the door opened just enough for two wide, gleeful eyes to peek through.

"Ah, you must be Master Layton! Come in out of the cold. We've been waiting for you." A young man in his late teens pulled the door open wide and ushered them into the grand foyer, locking the door behind them. They suddenly felt small under the high ceiling three floors overhead and beside the enormous Christmas tree which nearly graced the chandelier with its top branch. Up above the living area, they could see the rooms on the second and third floors overlooking the foyer. The interior was done mostly in dark wood furnishings with red and tan accents.

"Yes, thank you.” Layton touched the brim of his hat. “I apologize for our tardiness."

"We had a bit of a late start," Emmy added. They briefly exchanged smiles.

The young man gestured as though to dismiss the apology, then slid past them and behind a desk off to one side. He bent over to quickly retrieve a large book from a small safe, then plopped it down heavily onto the mahogany desk. He opened it and flipped through the pages; it was full of notes about the guests, including arrival and departure dates, signatures of all of the guests, allergy information, and more. "Ah, here it is. Layton, party of two." He stopped abruptly. His eyes flicked up.

Layton cleared his throat. "My daughter, she decided to join last minute. Might you by chance have any rooms with three beds available?"

If the man didn't look perplexed before, he certainly did now. "What?" he asked, his professional demeanor suddenly gone. "You don’t sleep with your wife when your guys’ kid is around or something?”

Layton raised an eyebrow, his face otherwise stoic. Emmy was visibly steaming. “Hey there buddy. Not that it's your business, but we're not married!" she growled angrily.

“And she's not my mom," Flora added, folding her arms across her chest and scowling.

“Ah. I see." The young man hastily scribbled some notes into his book. Layton rubbed his forehead with two fingers, his eyes shut. "At any rate, we're fully booked, so you'll have to make due with only two beds I'm afraid." He looked up from his book and, with a small grin and a wink, spun it around and pushed a pen into Layton's hand. He sighed, signed it, then set the pen down. “...And your luggage?"

“We got it.“ Emmy said, still clearly quite livid.

“Excellent! Then I shall show you to your room.” He bent down and placed the tome back in its safe. After giving the tumbler a quick spin, he straightened up and suddenly shot his hand out toward Layton. “Forgive me sir! I have in all this time forgotten to introduce myself! I am Elroy Riddle— a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Layton politely shook his hand and, after grabbing his trunk off the floor and nodding towards Emmy and Flora, allowed himself to be led through the foyer and to the other side of the living room. They passed several lush looking couches and a baby grand piano along the way. At the staircase, Layton put a hand on the elegant dark wood banister as he climbed and looked around. Although most of their surroundings were lit mainly by the chandelier and the lights softly cast by the Christmas tree, he could still make out a few details in the painted portraits hung on the wall as they climbed. Different members of the Riddle family stared out at them as they passed; he confirmed Elroy’s picture by the name tag beneath it. There was also a portrait of a woman, captioned _Amalie_ , another man, _Gideon_ , and… he stopped and squinted at the next one. Two men were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, one with his arm around the other. The names beneath it read: _David Hartmann and Emmanuel Riddle._

“Here we are, ladies and gent! Room 302!” Elroy made a sweeping gesture towards the door, unlocked it with a key, and then handed that key to Emmy, who was standing closest. Please let us know if you need anything. Unfortunately, dinner is over, but there are some snacks on the coffee table.” He pushed open the door, turned on the light, and stepped aside to let them enter, Layton going in last.

“I think we’ll be okay. Thank you for your help.” Layton said politely.

“The rules are posted on the other side of this door,” said Elroy, gripping the doorknob. “Breakfast is served between 8 and 9 am in the sunroom downstairs to the right of the foyer. You’re lucky, this room has a bathroom, but there is another one down this hall on the other side of room 305 in case you need it. There’s also a phone by the recliner if you should need anything else. Have a good night!” He sang the last words cheerfully and closed the door, leaving the trio alone in silence.

The trio turned to look at the spacious room.  Two queen sized beds stood side-by-side in the center; a desk, a sofa with a matching recliner, a bookcase full of novels and an armoire made up the majority of the other furnishings.  Opposite the door was a large window with floor length curtains that were drawn shut.

Emmy plopped down onto one of the beds. "That guy was truly a piece of work.”

Flora sat on the other bed opposite her. "He was not very gentlemanly at all. You'd think he'd be much more tactful considering his occupation. I have half a mind to speak to the manager in the morning!"

Emmy laughed. “I like you. You've got some spunk!"

Layton, who had been reading the rules posted to the door with his trunk still in hand, turned around.  "If he made you feel uncomfortable, my dear, I will speak to him directly in the morning and clear this all up.  In the meantime though, you should get some rest.  You'll have to borrow something of mine to sleep in, I think.  You didn't pack anything, right?"

Flora looked sheepishly away. "No, I thought it would be easier to hide if I traveled... light."

"Here, use this, kiddo," Emmy said, tossing a balled up shirt her way. "Well buy you some clothes tomorrow. It'll be a good excuse to check out the underground shopping district, too!"

Flora smiled and thanked her as she retreated to the bathroom. Layton smiled also as he crossed the room and set his trunk down on the desk. "Looks like you two are becoming fast friends," he said over his shoulder as he rummaged through his clothes.

"I hope so! I was a little worried at first, but I think I'm starting to figure her out a little.” She paused, running her hand over the comforter. “It's too bad Luke couldn't be here."

"I feel the same way," he said. He found his paper and pen beneath a spare pair of trousers and set them on the desk after moving his trunk to the floor. “I was thinking of writing to him tonight. Is there anything you’d like me to relay?”

He turned around. To his surprise and slight embarrassment, Emmy had already changed into a loose tee and shorts and was staring up at him and grinning from ear-to-ear. “Sure! Tell him hi from me, and… tell him we miss him, and…,” she rubbed her chin as though deep in thought. “Ask him when he is going to come out here next. Maybe we can plan our next adventure around it.” She looked delighted, and Layton let out a chuckle as he sat at the desk.

“I’ll start now, and we can mail it when we’re it town tomorrow.”

“You’re not going to bed yet?”

“No, I’ll be fine. You go ahead though, you must be exhausted from driving, so I’ll take the couch when I’m done.”

When Flora came out of the bathroom, she happily grabbed a few snacks from the coffee table, selected a novel from the shelf, and read until she quietly drifted off to sleep.  Emmy too began by reading a comic book she found, but soon found herself face down and drooling on the open pages.  With a smile, Layton got up and turned off the main light, tucked the two ladies into bed (after carefully peeling the pages away from Emmy's face), then sat back down to review his letter by the light of the desk lamp. 

 

> _Dear Luke,_
> 
> _Thank you so much for the kind words expressed in your last letter. You truly are growing up to be quite the very well rounded and admirable gentleman, and I feel grateful to know you._
> 
> _I’ve been keeping myself busy with work as usual at the school, but did have my routine change abruptly just yesterday! If you can believe it, our old friend Emmy suddenly appeared back in London from her travels and offered to take me with her on another journey. It seems she has been having a fine time working abroad, but came back for this specific trip._
> 
> _Through some work-related connection, she learned of a bed-and-breakfast style hotel called 'the Riddle Manor' that is said to be haunted! You know better than most that I am not so readily convinced by such things, yet on our way there, we were met with a most peculiar apparition standing right in the middle of the street!  We seemed to have driven right through a ghost, for when we left the car to check it out, there was nary a mark in the fresh snow to indicate anyone had been present.  I’ll write more on the topic as things progress._
> 
> _We are at the B &B as I write, and Emmy and Flora (yes, Flora hid in the car so as not to be left behind) are sleeping soundly right now.  They both wanted me to let you know how badly they miss you and wish for your good health and happiness.  Flora in particular wanted me to make sure that you were eating well, and Emmy wanted to know when you would be back so we could plan another journey together._
> 
> _Oh, and in regards to your last statement in your letter: Luke my boy, you may be growing, but it is still too early to focus on love right now.  Save your energy for your studies until you graduate high school at the very least. I  know it may be tempting to give into your emotions, but always remember that a gentleman must use his head before his heart, otherwise he may make rash decisions. That being said, and because you are surely going to disregard my advice, I’ve never known a lady to turn down chocolates and roses.  Get the kind without peanuts or tree nuts inside to avoid any allergy problems until you get to know her better._
> 
>  
> 
> _With love,_  
>  _Your friend,_
> 
> _Hershel Layton_


	3. III

When a warm ray of morning sunlight filtered through the space between the heavy curtains and fell onto the face of Professor Layton, he was still blissfully asleep on the couch. For the most part, he was snugly wrapped up in a blanket, his chest lightly rising and falling with each quiet breath, but one arm had slipped out from beneath the covers and onto the floor. Above him, both his former assistant and adopted daughter stood looking down upon his sleeping figure, the latter with a concerned expression on her face.

“Emmy, I’m quite certain that this is not a very… _considerate_ thing to do.” Flora softly whispered these words as she looked up from her fathers sleeping figure to the woman standing beside her.

With a barely contained snicker, Emmy countered, “Don’t worry so much-- he will get such a kick out of this.”

The pair had visited the sunroom to see what was being served for breakfast, then returned to their room with a can of whipped cream that Emmy took (or _‘borrowed’_ , as she had insisted). She then sprayed almost the entirety of the remainder of the can into Layton’s open hand as he soundly slept.  Now they stood over him, Flora with a feather clutched to her chest that had been plucked form an unlucky duster. She hesitantly reached out with it, then drew back.

“But… don’t you think he’ll be unhappy and... _shocked_  when he tries to scratch his face?”

“Well, yeah, but that’s what makes it funny! Plus-- _bonus--_ he can eat it when he wakes up, so everybody wins!”  She looked enthusiastically at Flora, but when the expression that she returned was less than ecstatic, Emmy threw her hands up. “Fine, gimme the feather— I’ll do it.”

Emmy swiped the feather out of her hand and tentatively moved it close to Layton’s face.  Lightly she touched it to his ear, tickling it and the side of his cheek.  Layton groaned in his sleep and turned his head to the side, but didn’t reach up to scratch the spot.  Emmy could hardly contain her delightful anticipation; Flora nervously chewed a finger and hopped from foot to foot.  This time, she dangled the feather over his face and lightly brushed his nose.

Suddenly, Layton’s eyes began to flutter open; Emmy quickly hid the feather behind her back as his eyes adjusted to the light.  Her mirthful smile was still on her face as she giggled a cheerful “Good morning, Hershel!” to him.

Still half-asleep, he returned her smile.  Blinking slowly, he said, “My, your smile is radiant.  It truly must be a good morning.” Without warning, he reached up to touch her cheek and in so doing smeared an enormous amount of whipped cream all over the side of her face.  For a moment, they were both frozen in place, Emmy with her smile still stuck in place but her eyes wide.  Finally, Layton frowned, blinking the sleep from his eyes as he drew his hand back to study the strange substance.  Flora, who had been nervously standing to the side, suddenly cried out laughing.  After a beat, Emmy joined in while Layton looked from one to the other, still completely confused.

After Emmy got cleaned up, Layton changed out of his pajamas and apologies were exchanged ('It was rude of me to touch your face!' 'I'm sorry I tried to pull that trick.' 'I apologize for not stopping her!'), they made their way down the staircase and to the sunroom just before the end of breakfast. With a quick lament about his lack of whipped cream, the cook made the trio some fresh Belgian waffles with the last of the batter, then topped it with sliced strawberries and warm syrup.

Layton thanked the cook, then retreated with the others to the sunroom and sat down between Emmy and Flora at the long wooden table, sipping a hot cup of black tea as he looked around. Three of the four walls in this room were made up almost entirely of high windows which nearly reached from floor to ceiling.  Through these windows he could see other homes peeking through the myriad of snow-topped fir trees. If he leaned to one side, he could barely catch the Laytonmobile parked among the other vehicles, all coated in fresh, white snow. This wintery scene was underscored by the chilled air rolling off of the windowpanes in front of him and the warm air radiating off of the crackling fireplace behind him.

“So how long have you been staying here?” Emmy’s cheerful voice rang out. Until now, he had not noticed the other people sitting on the far end of the table. There was a frail-looking old man with a shock of white hair sitting a few spaces away from a middle-aged couple dressed in biker wear who were actively scratching their heads and counting on their fingers.

“About a week, I’d wager.” The husky man with a large fluffy beard turned to the woman beside him with his eyebrows raised.

“Sounds right, love.  Maybe ten days.” The small, chubby woman hugged his arm and smiled at Emmy.  “We love the paranormal, but we’ve only been able to catch the ghosts in action a few times!”

Emmy's eyes lit up.  "But you have seen ghosts?"

The husky man laughed, his eyes twinkling behind the stray beard hairs.  “Do geese fly south for winter?“

Emmy raised an eyebrow. "Um, I think so."

"Exactly!” he laughed.  “We've been trying to take pictures, but ghosts are so difficult to capture!  We’ve seen them maybe a half-dozen times, but— show ‘ir, Kristen."

Kristen leaned behind her to rummage through her purse sitting on the floor.  She resurfaced clutching four photographs which she spread out on the table.  Emmy, Hershel and Flora leaned in to take a closer look.  At first glance, the photos looked like little more than blurry black and white images of what they assumed were different rooms around the house.  Flora picked one up and swiped her thumb over its surface, trying to clear away what looked to be a smudge.  When she was unsuccessful, she squinted at it. “…Is this a ghost?”

One glance towards the couple affirmed her suspicion.  The couple hurriedly hugged each other in excitement and nodded, smiling wide. Flora, Layton and Emmy bent back over the photos.  In each one, the basic shape of a person could be guessed at, and one even seemed to have dark orbs where eyes might have been.  However, they didn’t seem to be like the apparition that they had encountered on the road the night before.  These ghosts were wispy, almost like smoke, but the one they saw seemed to have been much more solid.

Layton glanced into the eyes of his companions and recognized the puzzled looks reflected in them.  He was eager to get away from the breakfast table so they could talk.  As he leaned over towards the couple to return the photos, Layton asked, “Have you noticed any patterns in the places or times you most frequently see these specters appear?”

The couple resumed scratching their heads. "It happens at night--"

"Haven't seen any ghosts at breakfast for sure--"

"But I don't know about location.  They seem to be all over the place.  The first time we saw one was on the tour, right, love?"

The man scratched his beard and nodded. When he spotted the inquisitive and eager look on Emmy, he elaborated.  "Every few days they put on a tour to show off the layout of the home.  They let you see some places that are usually locked up, like the old master bedroom where the founder died.  It's too creepy, that suite.  You ought to talk to the reception dude and sign up!”

“Thank you, we’ll do that,” Emmy replied with a kind smile as she pushed her chair back and stood up.

Layton gathered the plates with one hand and leaned towards the couple, his free hand outstretched. “Thank you, Kristen.” He shook the woman’s tiny, pudgy hand. “And thank you, um—?”

“Christian.” The gruff man smiled as he roughly shook Layton’s hand. “Christian and Kristen, we’re two peas in a pod. If you ever need anything, just give us a holler!  We’re in room 202, and we don’t plan on going anywhere ‘till we catch ourselves a bonafide ghost!”

“Or at least capture one on film,” Kristen giggled. They stood to leave also, grabbing their empty plates and pushing their chairs in.  "Maybe we should sign up for the tour again too, eh, love?  Maybe we'll see another one of those unlucky workers, or even Crazy Old Man Riddle himself this time!  Wouldn't that be something?"  

“You be careful what you wish for, little lady.”

The two groups paused and looked towards the far end of the table at the frail old man seated there.  He stared silently out the window, his breath fogging up the glass.  His spotted skin was wrinkled and leathery, and a few tufts of white hair crowned his head.  He slowly turned to look at Kristen, his dark eyes boring through her.  He pulled his lips back to reveal a wide, toothless grin, his body shaking with age.  His lips trembled, but he said no more.


	4. IV

The Professor found Elroy and, after a brief lecture highlighting key points on the merits of being a gentleman, signed up for the next tour around Riddle Manor.  Then he, Emmy, and Flora retrieved their sweaters and jackets from their room before heading downstairs and through the front doors.  The icy air was refreshing; Layton, Emmy and Flora smiled as they each slipped their hands into their pockets under the warmth of the morning sun.  They had only made it a few steps from the porch when Layton suddenly stopped and began to search his pockets with worry in his eyes.

“Oh dear,” he said, “I think I forgot my letter to Luke upstairs. Flora, would you please fetch it for me?  I believe I must have forgotten it on the desk in our room.”

“Sure, Professor,” she said.  He handed her the key; she took it but gave him a sidelong glance before turning back towards the manor.

“Emmy," Layton hurriedly turned towards his friend as the front door shut behind Flora.  "I think it best I take her home.  Today.  This is clearly not the proper setting for a young lady such as she.”

Emmy raised an eyebrow in disbelief.  “Wait, seriously?  Hershel, you are clearly underestimating her! I’ve only known her for less than a day but I can tell she can handle whatever St. Tenebris is hiding.”

“No no, she is much too delicate.  I don’t want this ‘supernatural’ business to leave her scarred.  Besides, something tells me there may be rather foul elements at play here.”  He shook his head and folded his arms across his chest.  “I just wanted to let you decide whether you would stay here and wait for me to return or drive with us.”

“Hershel, listen.” Emmy stood in front of him and rested a hand on his arm.  “If this were Luke, you wouldn’t for a single moment consider making him go back home.”

He didn’t say anything at first, but he unfolded his arms to slip his hands back into his pockets; he pushed a bit of snow with his foot. “…That boy is… Luke just has more _mettle_. I know he could handle anything.  Flora-- she’s softer.  I don’t know what I would do if she were ever to get hurt.”

Emmy paused. She hadn’t seen him look so forlorn since her return.  She slipped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. “You miss him, don’t you? He was like a son to you.”

Her warm smile and embrace caught him off guard, and he felt a heat rise to his face.  Instinctively, he reached for the brim of his hat, but after a pause allowed his hands to come to a rest on the small of her back.  Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks and nose rosy from the chilly air; her body felt comfortable against his.

“…I suppose I always imagined that I would have kids of my own by now,” he confessed.  “Besides Flora, I mean.  That wasn’t exactly planned, and I don't think she considers me to be a father.”

She shook her head.  “Oh, Hershel, there’s plenty of time. You still have a long life ahead of you, after all.” Her smile was beaming.  In this moment, there was so much more he wanted to tell her, if only the words would form.  However, he could see the front door to the manor opening and Flora bounding towards them through the snow.

Layton stepped back from Emmy, reached into his jacket and produced the letter.  “I’m so sorry, Flora dear.  I just found it. Thank you for looking.”

She frowned. “Well, I’m just glad you didn’t leave without me,” she remarked.

"We wouldn't dream of it!" Emmy said with a smile and a wink towards Layton.  "Now, let's see what this city has to offer and go find you some brand new duds, girl!"

Flora smiled, and the trio continued down the street. It didn’t take them long to notice that residential homes made up the vast majority of the structures on the surface of St. Tenebris.  Some neighborhoods contained very expensive looking estates, while others had mere cookie-cutter structures meant to quickly populate an area.  From what they could see, all were occupied, and they saw several happy families enjoying the snowy weather on their lawns.

Finally, they spied a post office next to a convenience store, and Layton dropped off his letter to Luke.  The postal worker there gave them directions to the closest entrance to the underground shopping area, and they soon after found themselves standing before it.  It looked like a subway entrance from the outside, with a metal gate surrounding three sides of the stairway leading below the earth.  A sign above it read _"Enjoy yourself to the fullest in the Star District."_

As they descended on the escalator, Flora gasped as the cavern was revealed.  The long, vast tunnel was full of people going in and out of shops which lined it on either side.  The walls and ceiling above the shops were roughly hewn from the stone, reminiscent of the original tunnels carved by the people who once lived here.  Despite their being underground, the place was well lit by a myriad of stringed lights which decorated not only the outside of every shop, but packed the ceiling as well.  

"I suppose they wanted to make as much commercial use of the legend as possible," Emmy said, rubbing the back of her head as she looked up and around them.

"The stars were certainly an important part of their legacy.  Surely it seems almost a mockery to include them down here, though."

"Well, _I_ for one think it is astonishingly beautiful," Flora said as she gazed all around them.  " After all, the Terran no longer exist, so they cannot use this space anymore.  And yet, it's certainly a wonderful thing that we can still pay tribute to them like this!”

Emmy turned to Layton with a glowing smile, which he returned.

At the bottom of the escalator was a sign which briefly explained the legacy of the Terrans.  Beside it was a map showing the layout of the cavern.

> ‘Behold! This is the Land which was once Built by the Noble Terran. Sadly, they once Worshiped the Distant Stars, yet were Ordained by None Other than the Jealous Sun to Live Beneath the Earth.  And Yet, they Never did Lose their Love of the Mysteries of the Galaxies which Surround Us. Remember the Terran and Remember the Stars!’

They read the sign in silence. Then, Emmy piped up: “Well, the map says that this place is divided into three areas: the Sun, the Moon, and the Star Districts.” She squinted as she read the map. “It looks like each district has all manner of shops in them, so we may as well start right here."  She gestured towards the boutiques nearest to them.

As they began to move on, Layton noticed a third, smaller sign posted just a short distance from the other two. This one contained an aged photograph of three men and was captioned _‘_ Simon Solis, David Hartmann and Emmanuel Riddle: Our Finders, Founders and Fathers'. He rubbed his chin as he studied the faces.

Emmy realized he had hung back and turned to look at him. “Is everything alright?”

“Mm, I was just looking at this photo. This is the original archaeologist that discovered this site, and the two entrepreneurs that transformed it into St. Tenebris.”

“Oh yeah, I think I saw their portraits at the Riddle Manor.  Two of them, anyways.” Emmy leaned closer to the photo.

“Yes.  Although Solis, Hartmann and Riddle did a lot of work together, eventually there was a falling out between Solis and the others.  After all, his reputation in the archaeology field did diminish after his business dealings regarding this land, ironically enough.”

“And it was his reputation that Hartmann and Riddle needed in order to sell this place as a tourist attraction, huh?”

“That’s quite right, Emmy.” Layton paused as he looked closely at the three men in the photograph.  “It was then that Solis disappeared rather suddenly. Some say he just ran off, moved far away and lived out his remaining days quietly.  But….”

“…’But?’ Do you have a different opinion?”

“Well, I doubt anyone truly knows, and it may be pointless to speculate, but something tells me he was not so lucky as that.”

“Ahh, I see....  Stories like these are often deeper than people care to admit, hm?"  She looked at him coyly.  "I have to say, Hershel, it sure is good to see those wheels turning again!”  She laughed.

Layton smiled as they turned away from the signs and photo, and together they walked deeper into the Star District to relocate Flora.


End file.
